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Review:

In The Shadows I Dwell says:Narcissa is one of those characters I love to read anything about, perhaps it's because she was willing to betray her own master to save her son, proving that she wasn't really as bad as I thought she was, or perhaps it's because she's so different in each story that it's really hard to figure out her character exactly, there's something I just love about her. What I really like is how you've explored her character in this piece, and how you've portrayed her as a woman who deeply loves her family, the same woman we see in Deathly Hallows. I found her recognizing the kindness of the people that surround them to be something very incredible, and I think really it was one of those great points that show how much she changes as a character and how it ends with her looking forward to the future, rather than her simply dwelling on the past.

It's incredibly hard for me to even find an area to suggest improvement within, as it's hard to find something that could be fixed in a piece which is essentially perfect, not only with spelling and grammar use, but the story itself is perfect. Simple yet the detail and the story you are telling are just amazing, because really I was fascinated by this woman from the start until the very end, I wanted to know how her story ended, and I'm glad there can be at least some happiness for her in the end, because I felt sorry for this Narcissa, losing the man who vowed to protect her son and her sister in the one night, and how obviously these losses affected her.

Overall, I thought this story was written beautifully, it really captured something different about Narcissa and her relationships and feelings following the war, and I loved reading every word of it.

~ In The Shadows I Dwell

Author's Response: Hi! Again, sorry for the delay in responding.

Oh, gosh, I love her too. I feel like I write her a lot, even if she doesn't have a starring role. The portrayal of her in the final book, the one where she really took her opportunity to shine and do something to counteract all the evil that her family had helped perpetuate over the years, is my absolute favorite, and I love dwelling on those moments, which is probably where the idea for this one-shot came from.

I definitely wanted to tap into her sensitivity here, as you've observed, and her vulnerability after having to sit back and watch things happen for so long. I think it would be quite shocking to find yourself alive and whole when people much stronger and smarter than you have perished already. Another element, of course, is the idea that in a just world, the Malfoys probably wouldn't (or at least shouldn't) have made it out alive. My Narcissa here has learned to take advantage of the fact that the world isn't perfect, and not to let the sacrifices of others go to waste, but to live on and take what she can from this.